March 24: A New Heart

You can change what you do. But can you change what you want?

God made a promise through Ezekiel to a people who had failed again and again. I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will take away the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

Notice who’s doing it. I will. Not you will. God takes out the old heart and puts in a new one.

That’s important for anyone in recovery. Behavior can be changed with effort, at least for a while. You can avoid bars, pour out bottles, set rules. But underneath, the desire can still be there. Many people have stopped drinking for a stretch while still wanting a drink every hour of every day. That’s exhausting. And eventually, if nothing changes underneath, the desire wins.

What people need isn’t just new behavior. It’s a new heart. One that doesn’t crave what used to destroy it. One that wants God more than the bottle.

You can’t make that heart yourself. That’s what this promise is about. God does heart surgery. Your part, in Step Three, is to decide to let Him. To hand over not just your actions but your wants. “God, I can’t change what I desire. You said You would. Please do.”

People who’ve been sober a long time often say the obsession to drink was lifted. Not by force of will, but gradually, as they kept doing the steps and staying close to God. They didn’t notice the day it happened. They just realized, one day, that they hadn’t thought about a drink in a long time.

That’s a heart of flesh. Soft, alive, responsive to God.

A heart of stone can’t feel much. That was part of what drinking did. It numbed. A heart of flesh feels things again, the good and the hard. That’s part of being made new.

One thing today

Pray today: “God, take out my heart of stone. Give me a heart that wants You.” Then notice, over the next week, any small changes in what you want.

A prayer

Lord, I can change what I do, but I can’t change what I want. You promised a new heart. Do the surgery I can’t. Give me a heart that wants You.

This promise is what Step Three trusts.

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